{"id":14020,"date":"2017-06-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/echezeaux-can-a-e2500-wine-really-be-good-value"},"modified":"2017-10-05T14:44:53","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:44:53","slug":"echezeaux-can-a-e2500-wine-really-be-good-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.invinic.com\/en\/echezeaux-can-a-e2500-wine-really-be-good-value","title":{"rendered":"\u00c9chezeaux: Can a \u20ac2,500 wine really be good value?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bottle of <\/span>\u00c9chezeaux<\/b> wine from <\/span>Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti<\/b><\/a> will cost you well over \u20ac2,000. That\u2019s a lot of money, particularly for a bottle of wine. It may be a great wine, but could you really call it great value? It\u2019s all relative, of course, but anybody who spends that sort of cash on wine could certainly consider \u00c9chezeaux to be something of a bargain!<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is \u00c9chezeaux wine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00c9chezeaux is a premium red wine made from the <\/span>Pinot Noir<\/b><\/a> grape in <\/span>Burgundy<\/b><\/a>, France. Its name comes from the the specific vineyard in which the grapes are grown, as is common in Burgundy wine.. At this price, we\u2019re not talking just <\/span>any<\/span><\/i> vineyard, of course. \u00c9chezeaux is one of Burgundy\u2019s prestigious <\/span>Grand Cru<\/b><\/a> vineyards, the highest classification for land in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grand Cru Burgundy<\/b><\/a> is some of the finest wine in the entire world, and has long interested the sort of wealthy collectors that spend thousands on stocking their wine cellars.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Where is the \u00c9chezeaux vineyard?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Understanding Burgundy wine can be complicated at the best of times, so let\u2019s keep it simple: The \u00c9chezeaux vineyard is located in the commune of <\/span>Flagey-\u00c9chezeaux<\/b>, itself located in the <\/span>C\u00f4te de Nuits<\/b> region. The C\u00f4te de Nuits is part of a larger region known as the <\/span>C\u00f4te d\u2019Or<\/b>, but let\u2019s not worry about that for now. In very basic geographic terms, the C\u00f4te de Nuits lies between Dijon and Beaune. It\u2019s the heart of Burgundy\u2019s red wine country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What makes \u00c9chezeaux so special?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Burgundy is legendary (or notorious, depending on your viewpoint!) for its hyper-specific breakdown of vineyard land. The whole region is broken down into tiny, individual parcels, known as <\/span>\u201cclimats\u201d<\/span><\/i>, in a concerted effort to identify the best growing sites. As a <\/span>Grand Cru<\/b><\/a> vineyard, \u00c9chezeaux has been officially recognised as worthy of the very top level. Considering the quality (and price) of Burgundy wines at lesser levels, this is impressive!<\/span><\/p>\n

The vineyard itself has individual plots, known as <\/span>lieux-dits<\/span><\/i>, and ownership is divided between more than 80 proprietors. This is quite remarkable when you consider that the vineyard itself is only 37.6 hectares – in <\/span>Bordeaux<\/b><\/a>, that would be considered a relatively small vineyard for one single ch\u00e2teau owner. As a result, there really isn\u2019t that much land – or fruit – to go around. The quantities made by any individual owner are tiny, and thus demand far outstrips supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

To understand why \u00c9chezeaux is so special (and a relative bargain), let\u2019s look at its finest wine – that from the mythical <\/span>Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti \u00c9chezeaux<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Entire books have been written about the legendary <\/span>Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti<\/b><\/a>. Pound for pound, it\u2019s probably the world\u2019s most famous wine producer, and regularly produces the world\u2019s most expensive wine: <\/span>Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti Roman\u00e9e-Conti<\/b><\/a>. That one\u2019ll easily cost you around \u20ac15,000. <\/span><\/p>\n

By comparison, the couple of thousand you\u2019ll pay for Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti \u00c9chezeaux doesn\u2019t look so bad all of a sudden. You\u2019ve got the same owner, same winemaker and the wines are aged in the same cellars.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still not sure: We understand. \u20ac2,500 is still a lot of money. We don\u2019t blame you if you need a little more convincing. Let\u2019s open up a bottle of \u00c9chezeaux wine and see what all the fuss is about.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tasting Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti \u00c9chezeaux 2001<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 2001 vintage in Burgundy was challenging, and even top producers had issues. <\/span>Aubert de Villaine<\/b>, co-owner and winemaker at Domaine de la Roman\u00e9e-Conti, managed to produce a range of stunning wines through the sort of attention to detail and meticulous grape sorting the domaine is known for.<\/span><\/p>\n